Light assembly of pre-defined shape

ABSTRACT

A light assembly having a pre-defined shape is provided to be removably attached to a mating guide provided on any convenient device but advantageously provided on a weapon. The light assembly comprises a housing provided with suitable optics having a light source at one end thereof and batteries for powering the light source through a switch. The housing has a pair of lateral members which are movable between a retracted position and an extended position so that, when the members are in the retracted position, the light assembly has the above-mentioned pre-defined shape and when the members are in the extended position, they are adapted to engage the mating guide. Means for preventing the longitudinal movement of the light assembly on the mating guide are also provided with the light assembly. In a particularly advantageous application, the light assembly can thus be easily mounted and used as a target illumination and/or aiming device with a weapon or be readily used as a separate and independent entity.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates, in general, to the field of lightingdevices. More particularly, it concerns a light assembly of pre-definedshape, for removable attachment to a mating guide.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the art, there are many designs of single purpose light assemblieswhich are or can be mounted on specific devices. There are also manydesigns of light assemblies which are used as independent lightassemblies. However, few of them are designed to be readily removablymounted on any suitable device while being able to be readily usedseparately, as an independent light assembly.

More particularly, in the specific field of weapons there has been anumber of target illumination and/or aiming accessories, such as lasers,sights, flashlights or other accessories which can be mounted onfirearms since, in this case, one major concern is proper targetillumination and/or aiming at the target of interest. Most of theseaccessories use various forms of locking screws, captive screws, nut andbolt clamps or other similar techniques to clamp the accessory to theweapon, as opposed to a latch and rail groove mechanism which wouldsafely guide and lock the accessory to the weapon. Examples of suchprior art accessories are given in US patents or patent applicationsnos. U.S. 2001/0027620 A1; U.S. 2001/0045046 A1; U.S. Pat. No.5,555,662; U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,137; U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,489; and U.S.Pat. No. 6,565,226.

As can be appreciated, the just-mentioned target illumination and/oraiming accessories present a number of caveats. Accordingly, suchaccessories can not be readily mounted on and detached from the weapon.In most cases, such mounting and detaching require the use of specifictools, or of both hands. Therefore, the weapon user can not simply gripthe target illumination and/or aiming device with one hand and readilymount it on his/her weapon in order to proceed to a precise triggering.

Other related prior art documents also present significantly differenttypes of attachment methods to weapons or involve weapons that do nothave a standard rail which can be interfaced with target illuminationand/or aiming accessories. Examples of such prior art accessories aregiven in US patents nos. U.S. 2002/0007581 A1; U.S. 2002/0100204 A1;U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,772; U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,754; U.S. Pat. No.5,040,322; U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,346; U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,683; U.S. Pat.No. 5,822,905; U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,014; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,901. Theproblem of such prior art devices is again the cumbersome mountingprocess as well as the bulkiness of such devices. More specifically, ifthe accessories can not be readily mounted on the weapon, they have tobe provided with their specific mounting device thus decreasing themotility of the weapon user.

Also known in the prior art is a clamping mechanism for attaching anauxiliary apparatus to the frame of a weapon, which is furthercharacterized in that the actual attachment or removal of the apparatuscan be accomplished by a user with one hand, without using separatebrackets or other mechanical components. These elements are disclosed inUS patent no. U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,967 (Woodman et al.).

Further, prior art target illumination and/or aiming devices are allsuited for use as an independent hand held light assembly, because oftheir protruding clamping mechanism, which makes them non-ergonomic.Further, their exposed clamping mechanism is often prone to breakage ifshocked and to contamination from exposure to dust, water, and othercontaminants.

It is thus apparent, from the above-mentioned prior art documents, thereis a lack for a light assembly which can be readily mounted on a matingguide, which, in a preferred application, is provided on a weapon, andwhich can be readily used separately, as an independent light assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a light assembly whichsatisfies the above-mentioned needs.

More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide alight assembly to be readily mounted on a mating guide provided on anyconvenient device and be readily removed therefrom while resuming itsoriginal pre-defined shape, in order to be usable as a separate entity.

In accordance with the present invention, this object is achieved with alight assembly having a pre-defined shape, for removable attachment to amating guide provided on a weapon or other device on which the lightassembly is to be mounted. The light assembly comprises a housing,provided with suitable optics having a light source at one end thereofand batteries for powering the light source through a switch. Thehousing of the light assembly has a pair of lateral members which canboth be moved between a retracted position and an extended position.When the lateral members are in the retracted position, the lightassembly has the above-mentioned pre-defined shape. When the lateralmembers are in the extended position, these members are adapted toengage the mating guide provided on the weapon or other device on whichthe light assembly is to be mounted. When the lateral members are in theextended position they are locked in place by a latch lock. Preferably,each one of the lateral members is provided with a longitudinal railgroove which is shaped and sized to slidably engage a correspondingflange on the mating guide. The housing of the light assembly of thepresent invention further has means for preventing longitudinal movementof the light assembly on the mating guide.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the matingguide is provided with a plurality of cross-slots and each one of thelateral members further includes a latch having an upper portion and alower portion. The upper portion and the lower portion of the latch havean inner face adjacent to the side of the housing and an outer face. Thelower portion of the latch also has a latch projection projectinginwardly from the inner face of the lower portion of the latch, forengaging any one of the above-mentioned cross-slots. The latch ispivotable between an operative and an inoperative position so that whenthe latch is in the operative position, it is normally inwardly biased,with the latch projection protruding into the side of the housing, thusproviding the means for preventing longitudinal movement of the lightassembly on the mating guide. When the latch is in the inoperativeposition, the upper portion is pivoted inwardly toward the housing whilethe lower portion is pivoted outwardly away from the housing, therebypreventing the latch projection from engaging the cross-slots.

In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the matingguide is provided on a weapon.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is alsoprovided a method for removably attaching the light assembly as definedabove, to a mating guide.

The method for removably attaching the light assembly, as defined above,to a mating guide comprises the steps of:

-   -   a) providing a light assembly as described above;    -   b) depressing the latches to the inoperative position so as to        allow the lateral members to slide until they are in the        extended position and the latch lock engaged;    -   c) engaging the longitudinal rail grooves of the light assembly        into the flanges of the mating guide;    -   d) moving and maintaining the latches in their inoperative        position, while sliding the light assembly on the mating guide;        and    -   e) moving the latches in their operative position so as to lock        the light assembly in place on the mating guide.

Preferably, the method for removably attaching the light assemblyfurther comprises the step of detaching the light assembly from themating guide, the step of detaching comprising the sub-steps of:

-   -   f) moving and maintaining the latches in their inoperative        position, while sliding the light assembly longitudinally off        the flanges of the mating guide; and    -   g) depressing the latch lock so that the latches slide back into        the light assembly, so that the light assembly resumes its        pre-defined shape.

In a further preferred embodiment, the method further comprises theinitial step of mounting the mating guide on a weapon.

As can be appreciated, the light assembly according to the invention isvery versatile, as it can be mounted on any suitably shaped mating guide(either integrated into or mounted through appropriate fasteners)provided on any suitable device while still being usable as a separateentity aside from the device and the mating guide.

These and other features, objects and advantages of the presentinvention will be better understood upon reading the followingnon-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, made withreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a side view of a light assembly, according to a preferredembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is a front view of the light assembly shown in FIG. 1A, thelateral members being in the extended position.

FIG. 1C is a front perspective view of the light assembly of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1D is a front perspective view of the light assembly shown in FIG.1B.

FIG. 2A is a side perspective view of the light assembly of FIG. 1Awhich is mounted on a generic weapon guide.

FIG. 2B is a side perspective view of the light assembly of FIG. 1Awhich is mounted on a long gun such as a rifle guide.

FIG. 2C is a side perspective view of the light assembly of FIG. 1Awhich is mounted on a hand gun guide.

While the invention will be described in conjunction with preferredembodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit thescope of the invention to such embodiments. On the contrary, it isintended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents whichmay be included, as defined by the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, similar features in the drawings have beengiven similar reference numerals and, in order to lighten the figures,some elements are not referred to in some figures if they were alreadyidentified in a previous figure.

Throughout the present description, the light assembly of the presentinvention will mostly be described and illustrated with respect to amating guide provided on a weapon, but it should be understood that sucha mating guide could be provided on any suitable device, such as for nonlimitative examples, a paintball gun, a bicycle, a protecting helmet(for use in mining, caving or other applications) or other headgear, awatercraft, a wristband, scuba diving gear, a belt clip, a building, apost or other construction, a tent, or any other device which couldadvantageously make use of a lighting assembly.

Referring to FIGS. 1A to 1D, and 2A to 2C, there is shown a lightassembly 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. The light assembly 10 has a pre-defined shape, and isremovably attachable to a mating guide 20, which is preferably providedon a weapon. Any mating guide, preferably provided with parallel flanges22 can be used to slidably engage the longitudinal rail groove 32 on thelateral members of the light assembly's housing. This allows any guide,such as a railing system (an example of which is the M-1913(Picatinny)rail) or any equivalent thereof, to engage a light assemblywhile being mounted on the device of interest, advantageously on theweapon of interest.

The light assembly 10 comprises a housing, preferably with two sides.Each side of the housing of the light assembly 10 is provided with apair of lateral members 30, preferably received by correspondingchannels 40 provided on each side of the housing. As shown in FIGS. 1Ato 1D, each channel 40 preferably comprises a back face 42 and stopscrew 41 for maintaining the lateral member 30 within each channel 40.Alternatively and as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the channel 40 can besubstantially U-shaped and sized to receive a corresponding lateralmember 30. This channel 40 is provided with guiding members 46protruding from the channel 40, preferably from the back face 42thereof, for slidably engaging corresponding grooves 48.

The lateral members 30 are movable between a retracted position, asshown in FIG. 1C, and an extended position, as shown in FIG. 1D, by adistance at least equal to distance x. Distance x is the distancebetween the longitudinal rail groove 38 and the lowest point A of thehousing, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1D.

In order for the lateral members 30 to remain in the retracted position,locking means are provided by the latch lock 31. Similarly, lockingmeans are provided to prevent the lateral members 30 from extendingbeyond the extended position by stop screws 41.

When the lateral members 30 are locked in their retracted position,these lateral members 30 are adapted to engage the housing. Referringespecially to FIG. 1D, one can appreciate that each channel 40 comprisesa back face 42 and sidewalls 44.

When the lateral members 30 are locked in their extended position, theyare positioned so that the lowest point A of the housing is as close aspossible to the mating guide 20 in order to allow the eventual slidingmovement of the light assembly 10 on the mating guide 20. Referring morespecifically to FIG. 1B, one can appreciate that each lateral member 30comprises an inner substantially inner planar face 32. The inner planarface 32 of the lateral members 30 is further characterized in that it isadjacent to the side of the housing and provided with a longitudinalrail groove 38. The longitudinal rail groove 38 is shaped and sized toslidably engage a corresponding flange 22 of the mating guide 20.

Preferably, the mating guide is provided with a plurality of cross-slots60 and each lateral member 30 further includes a latch 70 with an upperportion 72 and a lower portion 74. Each one of the upper portion 72 andthe lower portion 74 has an inner face, adjacent to the side of thehousing, and an outer face.

Each latch further has a latch projection 78 projecting inwardly fromthe inner face of the lower portion 74 of the latch, for engaging anyone of the cross-slots 60. Each latch 70 is further characterized inthat it is preferably rotatable about a pivot between an operativeposition and an inoperative position.

Without departing from the scope of the present invention, it will beapparent for any person skilled in the art that the means for preventinglongitudinal movement of the light assembly can comprise at least two,and preferably a plurality of projections protruding downwardly andoutwardly from the area below the housing closest to the guide. Suchprojections would serve the same purpose as the latch projections 78 intheir operative position.

Referring again to FIGS. 1B to 1C, the housing is provided with asuitable optics 12 having a light source 14 at one end thereof andbatteries 16 for powering the light source 14, such as a LED assembly,incandescent light bulb and/or laser or a combination thereof, through aswitch, such as a push button switch 19. The switch can be any type ofelectromechanical switching device including, but not limited to, amechanically activated, electronically activated, or radio-frequencycontrolled switch. The light assembly 10 is further characterized inthat the suitable optics, the batteries and the switch, enclosed in thehousing, pre-define the shape of the light assembly 10. By “pre-definedshape”, it will be understood that the light assembly 10 has anadvantageously uninterrupted profile when considered as a whole. Morespecifically, the uninterrupted profile of the light assembly 10 meansthat all the components of the housing have the same general shape, eventhough the optical piece is larger than the battery portion which, inturn, is smaller than the switch portion of the housing. The lightassembly 10 may advantageously have an ergonomic shape so that the usercan comfortably grip it with one hand. The light assembly 10 may thushave a rectangular, oval or triangular shape, but preferably, asubstantially cylindrical shape.

As can also be appreciated from FIGS. 1A and 1C, the uninterruptedprofile of the light assembly is best depicted when the lateral members30 are in the retracted position. More specifically, the outer face ofboth the upper and lower portions 72, 74 of the latch, as well as theouter face of the lateral members, are shaped so that they form thisuninterrupted profile with the rest of the housing.

Furthermore, the light assembly 10 may advantageously be of dimensionssimilar to the dimensions of the mating guide 20, as best shown in FIGS.2A to 2C More specifically, the width of the light assembly 10 ispreferably somewhat similar to the width of the mating guide. As can beunderstood, the width of the light assembly and the guide is determinedalong the axis perpendicular to the main axis of each of these elements.It is thus clear that, in the particular field of target illuminationand/or aiming, the present invention alleviates the need to use bulkylight assemblies as target illumination and/or aiming deviceaccessories, which are not practical on site where vigilance, accuracyand rapidity are of the essence.

The present invention also provides a method for removably attaching thelight assembly, as defined above, to a mating guide, preferably providedon a weapon. The method comprises the steps of:

-   a) providing a light assembly as described above;-   b) depressing the latches to the inoperative position so as to allow    the lateral members to slide to the extended position and the latch    lock engaged;-   c) engaging the longitudinal rail grooves of the lateral members    into the flanges of the guide;-   d) moving and maintaining the latches in their inoperative position,    while sliding the light assembly on the guide; and-   e) moving the latches in their operative position so as to lock the    light assembly in place on the guide.

Preferably, the method for removably attaching the light assemblyfurther comprises the step of detaching the light assembly from themating guide. This step comprising the following sub-steps of:

-   f) moving and maintaining the latches in their inoperative position,    while sliding the light assembly longitudinally off the flanges off    the guide; and-   g) depressing the latch lock so that the latches slide back into the    light assembly so that the light assembly resumes its pre-defined    shape.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed in detail herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to theseprecise embodiments and that various changes and modifications may beeffected therein without departing from the scope or spirit of thepresent invention. It is clear from the present description that theproposed light assembly is particularly useful for mounting on a weapon.It should however be understood that the light assembly of the presentinvention is not limited to be used on a weapon and that any convenientapplications such as mounting on a bicycle, or on a protecting helmet,for example, are also envisaged and are encompassed by the presentinvention.

1. A light assembly having a pre-defined shape, for removable attachmentto a mating guide, said light assembly comprising a housing providedwith suitable optics having a light source at one end thereof andbatteries for powering said light source through a switch, said housinghaving: a) a pair of lateral members being movable between a retractedposition and an extended position, wherein: when said members are in theretracted position, the light assembly has said pre-defined shape; andwhen said members are in the extended position, said members are adaptedto engage said mating guide; and b) means for preventing longitudinalmovement of the light assembly on the mating guide.
 2. The lightassembly according to claim 1, wherein the housing has two sides, eachone of said two sides being provided with a channel for receiving arespective one of said lateral members, where each one of said lateralmembers comprises an inner substantially planar face bounded by a stopscrew, and wherein the mating guide is planar, parallel to the housingand perpendicular to the inner planar face of the lateral members, saidmating guide comprising rail grooves parallel to each other projectingoutwardly, planar to the mating guide; said inner face of the lateralmembers being adjacent to the housing and provided with a longitudinalgroove proximate and parallel to the lower edge, said longitudinalgroove being shaped and sized to slidably engage the flange.
 3. Thelight assembly according to claim 2, wherein when the lateral membersare further provided with locking means for locking said lateral membersin the retracted position and in the extended position.
 4. The lightassembly according to claim 2, wherein each channel is shaped and sizedto receive a corresponding lateral member, said channel comprising aback face for maintaining the lateral member within said channel.
 5. Thelight assembly according to claim 2, wherein each channel issubstantially U-shaped and sized to receive a corresponding lateralmember, said U-shaped channel being provided with guiding membersprotruding outwardly and perpendicularly from said channel, for slidablyengaging corresponding grooves extending from the upper edge to thelower edge of the lateral members.
 6. The light assembly according toclaim 2, wherein the mating guide is provided with a plurality ofcross-slots and wherein each one of said lateral members furtherincludes a latch having: an upper portion and a lower portion, saidupper portion and said lower portion each having an inner face adjacentto the side of the housing and an outer face; and a latch projectionprojecting inwardly from the inner face of said lower portion of thelatch, for engaging any one of said cross-slots, said latch beinginwardly biased; wherein the latch is pivotable between an operativeposition and an inoperative position so that: a—when the latch is in theoperative position, with the latch projection protruding into the sideof the housing, thereby providing the means for preventing longitudinalmovement of the light assembly on the mating guide; and b—when the latchis in the inoperative position, the upper portion is pivoted inwardlytoward the housing while the lower portion is pivoted outwardly awayfrom the housing, thereby preventing the latch projection from engagingany one of said cross-slots.
 7. The light assembly according to claim 6,wherein each channel comprises a back face and sidewalls, said back facecomprising a depression shaped and sized to receive a respective one ofsaid latch projections so that, when the lateral members are in theretracted position, each one of said respective latch projectionsengages said respective depression.
 8. The light assembly according toclaim 1, wherein the switch is a push button.
 9. The light assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein the pre-defined shape is a substantiallycylindrical shape.
 10. The light assembly according to claim 1, whereinthe light source is a LED assembly.
 11. The light assembly according toclaim 1, wherein the light source is a laser.
 12. The light assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein the light source is a combination of a LEDand a laser.
 13. The light assembly according to claim 1, wherein thelight source is a combination of an incandescent light source and alaser.
 14. The light assembly according to claim 1, wherein said matingguide is provided on a weapon.
 15. The light assembly according to claim1, wherein said mating guide is provided on a device on which the lightassembly is to be mounted.
 16. A method for removably attaching a lightassembly, said light assembly having a pre-defined shape, for removableattachment to a mating guide, said light assembly comprising a housingprovided with suitable optics having a light source at one end thereofand batteries for powering said light source through a switch, saidhousing having a pair of lateral members being movable between aretracted position and an extended position and means for preventinglongitudinal movement of the light assembly on the mating guide, saidmethod comprising the steps of: a) providing said light assembly; b)depressing the latches to the inoperative position so as to allow thelateral members to slide until they are in the extended position and thelatch lock engaged; c) engaging longitudinal rail grooves of the lateralmembers into flanges of the guide; d) moving and maintaining latches ofthe lateral members in an inoperative position, while sliding the lightassembly on the mating guide; and e) moving the latches in an operativeposition so as to lock the light assembly in place on the mating guide.17. The method of claim 16 further comprising of the step of detachingthe light assembly from the mating guide, said step of detachingcomprising the sub-steps of: f) moving and maintaining the latches inthe inoperative position, while sliding the light assemblylongitudinally of the flanges of the mating guide; and g) depressing thelatch lock so that the latches slide back into the light assembly, sothat the light assembly resumes the pre-defined shape.
 18. The method ofclaim 16, further comprising the initial step of mounting said matingguide on a weapon.
 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising theinitial step of mounting said mating guide on a device on which thelight assembly is to be mounted.